The Wedding Dress
by SallySorrell
Summary: Please enjoy my new favorite piece of work, "The Wedding Dress." The story of Erin and Andy, as it would happen in place of season 8, and however many seasons may follow. I hope you prefer this fluffy, romantic plotline, centered around Andy, Erin, a bracelet, happiness, and the inevitable wedding dress.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys. You may recognize this piece from my "The Heart Runs a Cycle, They Say" but it's your lucky day, Andy/Erin fans, because I'm extending it, and I've modified this chapter a bit, too! Expect a total of five chapters (more if I feel like it, of course) of beautiful, sappy romance from yours truly. Please enjoy and keep the feedback coming, I love it.**

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Erin met Pam as she was leaving the kitchen late one Friday afternoon. She was holding a cup of yogurt and resetting her hair beneath a jeweled clip. Erin smiled.

"Hi, Pam."

"Hey Erin… what's up?"

"I wanted to know about where you got your wedding dress… it was really pretty."

"Thanks." Pam set her yogurt to rest on the counter. This interrogation may take longer than holding her snack was worth, "Were you… um, are you getting married?"

"Nope." Giggled Erin, then, after a confusing pause, "It just makes me happy… looking at wedding dresses. And it's been a kinda sad week so far, so I wanted to go look."

"That's fine…" Pam nodded to reassure Erin, "We went to The Blue-Eyed Boutique at the Steamtown Mall. They have some modern dresses and a ton of really nice traditional ones. And veils and trains and all that."

"Sounds great. Thanks Pam!" During this, Erin scooped up the yogurt cup, thrusting it toward Pam's hands with a grin.

Erin waltzed back to her desk, stopping purposely at Andy's on the way.

"Andy?" she resisted tapping his shoulder. He swished around his chair, twisting a red pen between his fingers.

"Erin… hey. Fancy seeing you here." He dropped his smile momentarily, "Do I owe you from lunch yesterday?"

"I told you not to worry about that, _silly_." His smile resurfaced, "I wanted to see if you had plans tonight…"

He stopped to ponder this, as well as her motive. Slightly worried, she continued:

"Or tomorrow, or Sunday. Just if you're free at all. Any time this weekend."

"I'm sure I can make time. Tonight's okay?"

"Yes." She even nodded.

"What're we doing?" He recapped the pen and set it neatly near his keyboard.

"I wanted your help picking out a dress. Is that weird?"

"Not to me. I'll even pick you up."

"Okay." She reached to shake his hand, physically sealing the _date_. This was a date, according to Erin. And probably according to Andy. But neither admitted this to the interviewers.

"Wow," declared Erin, stepping through her front door to join Andy, "You look nice when you're not in 'work clothes.'"

He wore a blue polo shirt and jeans only a few shades lighter. Erin wore a striped pink blouse and gentle grey denim.

"You too." He offered, "Ready?"

She nodded.

"Where to?"

"Oh, the mall is good. Need some cheering up."

"Then to the mall we shall go, my lady."

She locked the door, pocketed her keys, and tugged a purse over one shoulder. Andy rushed ahead to open the Prius's passenger door.

("It _wasn't_ a date!" he told the cameras the following Monday, "I just take pride in politeness, okay? I mean, 'Andy, hey, the Queen is coming. But don't hold the door for her, or people'll think you're _dating_.' Really? Erin should be treated like the Queen… and I _would_ hold the door for the Queen, thanks very much. I didn't mean to confuse you..." he paused to rub some sweat from his brow, "What were we talking about?")

Erin's gait was soft and summery, similar to the surrounding breeze, as they entered the mall.

"You said you needed cheering up?" mused Andy, a half-step behind her.

"Yeah… long week. And Gabe hasn't said 'hi' to me at all."

A crooked, partial smile ignited Andy's face. He always greeted her. Creatively.

"Oh," said Erin, softly, "It should be this way. Pam told me about this place."

She took his hand and pulled him down the lanes, mostly against the general flow of traffic.

("It really wasn't a date." She answered the same question when back at work, "He was walking slow and that's a good way to speed people up. My foster mom grabbed my hands all the time. To get me across the street safely and stuff. I think that makes sense." In uneasy silence, she reached for the bracelet on her left arm. She admired it, then glared awkwardly back up at the camera, "Oh. I thought you just shut that off…?")

They stood before the boutique. Staring up at the logo, Andy sifted through a variety of expressions, including shock, disgust and resentment before settling with confusion.

"So you need like a… bridesmaid dress or something, right? I mean…"

Erin knew how well Andy responded to jealousy and chose her answer cautiously:

"No. I'm looking at wedding dresses."

"You… you're… _what_?"

She also knew how he dealt with anger, and quickly clarified:

"I'm just _looking_. Wedding dresses make me happy, that's all. I used to draw them on everything when I was a little girl. Like math books and newspapers and stuff…"

"Okay." Andy exhaled, noticeably relaxed, "This'll be fun… we'll have fun."

They proceeded through the shop doors, both trying their best not to look like they were engaged, but internally, hoping they looked enough like a couple to blend in.

They were welcomed by a woman in a shiny black dress. Over this was an apron, bearing her nametag (along with the bolded title, "Manager"), a measuring tape, and various clips and pins. Tucked into her neat, greying hair was a pencil.

"This is new," she said, stepping closer, "We've never had the bride and groom in together."

"We're not…" Erin started.

"We're just looking." Andy announced simultaneously. He led Erin away with a brisk swipe of her shoulders.

"That's perfectly fine," promised the attendant, "But call for me, Susie, if you need anything."

"Sure." They said together.

The back of the store smelled light and flowery. Vast posters of possible designs covered the walls, and several dresses were showcased beneath them on mannequins. Still wrapped, some dresses dangled from a rotating display.

"Which one do you like best?" Erin glanced briefly at Andy, then returned to gazing longingly at the gowns.

"That one, definitely." He gestured up at the shiniest one. It boasted a lower neckline than the others (in honesty, he liked the ones with high, buttoned-up collars… but they reminded him too much of Angela) and large lace flowers twirling at the base and along the train. The mannequin who wore it seemed to be smiling brighter than her counterparts. And that made it stand out, just enough.

Susie's eyes loomed over them.

"We have one of those down on the shelf if you wanted to try it on, sweetie. It's the last one, but it should be about your size…"

"Go for it." Andy told her, anticipating her begging, "Whatever makes you happy."

"Can I?" she had to be sure, and approached Susie at a run.

"The fitting room's this way… let me help you out."

Susie draped the packaged gown over her shoulder and escorted Erin to a set of powder-pink folding doors along one side of the wall.

Andy passed time pondering price-tags, then inspecting a rack of rentable tuxedos. As he began admiring a glistening black bowtie, Erin and Susie emerged from their cell.

He stopped and felt terribly cliché as his lips unsealed and his mouth became, for the first time in a while, useless.

Erin just giggled.

"Isn't it so pretty?" she laughed louder. Susie oversaw the train, lifting it frequently out of the way of Erin's excited sidestepping.

"Why are you laughing?" Andy almost joined her. But added, quite seriously, "You look gorgeous."

As a salesman, he recognized Susie's attempts at 'upselling', as they called it:

"Now this _is_ the last one of its kind. And it fits her, well, perfectly. We've also got a matching jewelry set with this… a necklace and bracelet with the flower design, then pearl earrings in whatever style you prefer."

As a self-proclaimed gentleman, he also fell for it. Partially.

"Can we see the bracelet, too?"

Susie left to retrieve it, eyes widening at the possibility of her latest commission.

"See, this is fun, right?" Erin looked only at the dress. Andy used her inattentiveness as a window to just watch her expressions as they folded across her smooth face.

She twirled in the dress, admiring the train of flowers that fluttered along behind her.

"It really does look great on you."

"Too bad I'm not getting married. And it would be weird to buy it now and _then_ get married. What if my future husband hates it?"

"He won't." sighed Andy, hopeful and hopeless all at once.

"Thanks, Andy." She wove his words into many patterns, trailing over each one to find the intended meaning. Unknowingly, he interrupted this, taking a blatant step forward:

"And the groom's not supposed to see the dress… that's a tradition or rule or something."

"Maybe you should close your eyes."

"Wait, _what_ now?"

"I really just said that…?"

Halting the awkward progression, Susie returned and rushed to fasten a glimmering bracelet around Erin's left wrist. The docile flowers appeared to be made of lace, but, as Susie explained, were derived from a delicate and unique variety of pearl. The color mirrored the dress exactly.

"That's pretty too." Admitted Erin, "Here Andy, you can look at this part."

His eyes, which he'd obediently shut, were pried open again. The bracelet was indeed 'pretty.'

"I bet you've never heard this before," Andy began, turning to Susie, "but can we have just the bracelet?"

"I've heard a lot, but not that. But sure, anything you want."

"I'll just go change out of this. And you don't have to buy anything, Andy. Really."

While Erin returned to the changing room, Andy followed Susie to the front register.

"Don't let her see the price tag. Don't let me see it, either. I might cry."

Susie nodded and curled her lips. Andy passed her the entirety of his wallet, checking behind him in case Erin could see.

The bracelet was placed in a padded box. Andy studied the label, then met Erin as she finished changing.

"Here." He told her, setting the box in her hands.

She opened it, gasped (despite guessing what was inside), and slammed it shut. She spoke through her hands:

"Andy, you really shouldn't have…"

"It's okay… I wanted to."

"But it was probably expensive?"

"Don't worry about it." Watching her face for a refusal, he reached one arm around her waist, "If it makes you happy, it's worth it."

As they parked in Erin's driveway later that night, she peeled the box open again. Andy clasped the bracelet around her wrist, which looked lonely without it.

She wanted to leave it on forever. Andy caught this thought before it melted from her eyes.

"Can't shower with it."

She laughed and was extra careful in closing the car-door. Before she turned away, she leaned through the open car-window, kissing Andy on the cheek and making sure he heard her whisper 'thank you' as gently as she could.

Not a bad date, they decided. Separately and silently, of course.


	2. Chapter 2

The evening was not discussed further. Phyllis frequently commented on Erin's _lovely_ new bracelet, which she wore daily, and explained was a gift from her biological mother, hence the sentimental value. Pam identified it as a product from the Blue-Eyed Boutique and smiled. Kelly nearly screamed when she saw it, listing the reasons it _must_ mean true love was apparent. Angela, as typical, glared at it. Meredith nodded at it. Creed asked repeatedly how to unfasten it. Jim complimented it. Dwight confirmed the authenticity of its pearls.

So, the whole office had noticed. But the evening remained a carefully-patrolled secret. Over time, even the participants had forgotten the details. Or so they claimed.

By the eve of Erin's birthday, she'd peeled away the memory of kissing Andy, and with a thorough blush, tried very hard to press it from reality and into a folder of her dreams. It couldn't have really happened…

Andy recalled differently. And thus, had something brilliant in mind for the receptionist's special day.

"Erin," he announced, quietly. She glanced up from her monitor, grinning as his cue to continue:

"Do you know what's coming up?"

"The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday." She smiled wider, "And I want _Paige Turner_ to win because she's the only filly running…"

"Um, that. Yeah. But I meant… _sooner_."

"Oh. Tomorrow's my birthday, but that's not a big deal. I'm not turning 21 or 30 or anything like a milestone."

"Still a big deal to me. So I planned a fun evening for you."

"What am I going to…?"

"It's a surprise." He leaned closer and stopped himself from placing his finger over her lips to silence them. He imagined doing so anyway. It was nice, "I'll just pick you up tomorrow, probably around seven… _Hint, hint_. And you'll see."

"So, seven at night."

"Precisely."

"It's a date." She caught his eyes while they gleamed, "Like, a deal. Or a date, I guess, because you asked me to go somewhere with you and…"

"See you then."

As he turned to leave, she coughed and mumbled:

"You'll still come over to watch the Derby with me, won't you?"

"I absolutely would not..." he waited for her to look shocked, "…miss it. Not in a million, billion years."

"Okay. I'll make popcorn. Unless you like kettle-corn, because I can make that too. Or buy it or something if…" She had a habit of rambling when her nervousness was confronted.

He appeared in her driveway, just as the sun began its routine descent. At _precisely_ seven, she stepped from her doorway to meet him, politely complimenting his selection of 'after-work clothes.' He found hers even better than last time.

She wore a clingy yellow dress, which looked fabulous against the summer sunset, and a shimmery pair of black sandals. And her _favorite_ bracelet. Her hair was simultaneously messy and undeniably appealing, resting beneath a sunflower pin.

"You look really nice, Erin." Andy called from the car. She blushed and proceeded for the car at a quick, albeit embarrassed pace.

She was just preparing to playfully scold him, but her eyes had stumbled onto the vase of flowers in the passenger-side cup-holder.

"For you." He assured her, as she stepped into the car.

"Thanks, Andy." She stifled a giggle, "That's cute."

"Happy birthday. You deserve it."

"Where are we going?" She asked as Andy turned the key in the ignition.

"Told ya it was a surprise, didn't I?"

Erin broadened her grin as they sped into the parking lot of the Steamtown Mall.

"Hungry?" Andy inquired, pocketing his keys. He rushed around the front of the car to open her door. And to hear the answer.

"Sure. I mean, I had dinner but…"

"I figured. So we'll just stop by for a slice of Erin-pie?"

"Okay." She laughed at the rhyme and felt weird in hoping he'd refer to her as that in the future. Pie…

("Can you spell it differently in the transcripts? Like P-I or P-Y-E or something?" Andy posed the question to the interviewing crew back at the office. He and Erin sat next to each other in the conference room, their fingers were clasped together and hovered over Erin's knee, "I just feel lame, giving everyone nicknames after foods..."

"_I_ like it." Erin promised, flipping her hand to be on the top.

"Thanks, Pye." He leaned his head closer to hers, "See, it's cute, right?"

Erin nodded to confirm this, and the cameras were packed up.)

They indeed stopped for dessert. Erin enjoyed a slice of apple pie, rolling each bit in melting ice cream before chewing it. Andy mostly watched her do this, but managed a few bites of his chocolate crème pie in-between. Her name was spelled out in syrup atop her ice cream, as a birthday perk, and she genuinely disliked dismembering it. She took frequent sips of a sweetened, cream-topped coffee for condolence, while Andy steeped his tea.

She watched him pay their waiter.

"Thank you for that, Andy. It was really good. We should come here more often…"

"Next stop, then?" he led her from the dimly-lit Sweet Shoppe.

"There's more?"

"_Of course_ there's more."

She took his hand, asked if that was okay, and only followed him after he provided three original variations of 'yep.'

"Voila." He recited, bowing slightly. She dropped his hand and allowed herself to fully enjoy the Blue-Eyed Boutique, as they stood before it. Again.

"Really?" she asked for no apparent reason. Her tone was modest, and not even slightly upset.

"Oh yeah." He reached for her hand again, but noticed it was tucked behind her back and halted, "Now if you want to try stuff on again, that's cool. But I planned this for a reason."

"Well, I had a pretty good week so far. It's not over yet, but everyone was nice today. Kelly and Ryan took me to lunch and Pam brought me a new calendar. For next year… _already_!"

"So that's a good week…?"

"Yes… does that sound really pathetic?" They approached the doorway and enjoyed the air conditioning that resounded.

"If something makes you happy, no one should judge you for that, okay?"

"You're right. Gosh, you're always right."

Once again, they were greeted by Susie, the manager. She stopped her work at decorating the mannequins to meet them at the front register.

"Hmm…" she declared upon recognizing them, "Ready for that dress yet?"

"Oh, no. We're not a…" Erin began, knowing it was hopeless. As soon as Andy was able to take her hand again, she was silent.

"Have you set a date?" Susie proceeded, gesturing for them to follow her to the dress displays. Andy stopped in the middle of the room, glancing back and forth like a dog on a leash.

"Umm… no. We're, uh, not here for the dress yet. Sorry. Remember the bracelet we got last time?"

Erin, excited at the mention of it, waved her wrist and it jangled.

"The warranty's void if you don't buy the whole set at…"

"It's not broken. I love it." Said Erin with a reassuring smile.

"We want to add the necklace to our… collection." Andy started pacing back toward the register. Nearby, the jewelry was displayed in a shell of thick, overly clean glass.

"Can do. But let me know when you want the dress. Other people have looked at it and I promise it won't be here long."

Susie took out the necklace, supervised Erin as she put it on, and began frantically typing on her register keypad.

"Andy…" was all Erin could manage to say, "It's too much…"

"Don't _worry_ about it, Erin."

"Because it makes me happy."

"Right."

"Does it make you happy?" she admired herself in a folding mirror.

"Absolutely."

She ran a finger over the beads.

"I thought this was a surprise?"

"You're not surprised?" He gave a nervous chuckle and contemplated the ways he may have failed her.

"But you didn't make me wait outside or shut my eyes or anything."

"Please. I wouldn't leave you out there alone."

She offered a smile to his gallantry, and, after a small silence, returned to staring at the necklace. She even held her wrist up for comparison.

"I can get you a deal on that." Susie said after a while, "If I know you'll come back for the dress."

"That's a pretty big commitment." Mused Andy, checking for his wallet in his coat pocket, just in case, "Erin?"

He almost felt empathy for her as he fell to one knee. Susie wrinkled her brows and looked back at her numbers…

"Are you… you're not proposing to me?"

That didn't sound good. And honestly, he wasn't planning to. It just felt right. He had to stop being spontaneous like that. _Didn't work with Angela_, he reminded himself.

"…No. I just thought I dropped my… wallet." He returned to his feet and checked again in his pocket, producing it this time, "While you were looking in the mirror, I just thought it might've..."

"Okay. Umm, yah. Susie, right? We'll come back."

"For the dress?" she nudged, shaking the confusing scene away.

"Yes." Sighed Erin, with a soft nod. Her hair tumbled to her shoulders. Andy rubbed his palms and watched.

The necklace was purchased. Erin was allowed to wear it straight out of the store, once Susie had cut off a bit of security tape from its underside.

"What was that about?" she asked Andy, as they found a bench outside the store to rest at.

"Nothing… just… nothing."

"No, it was fine. That's okay." She reached around his shoulder, "I mean, didn't you hear me say 'yes'?"

"And that was directed at me?"

"_Yes_, silly. Why not?" she shrugged, tilted her head and giggled.

"Oh, God. Wow. Did not see that one coming."

"Well you said you weren't proposing. But I still said 'yes' because I wasn't really thinking, I was just excited. And I thought you were… and maybe I wanted you to."

"So are we engaged right now or what?" he later admitted an acute fondness of bragging and holding titles.

Once more, she shrugged.

He smiled and took several calming breaths. Then undid their progress with a high-pitched, shallow one. He muttered:

"No, that was a lame way to propose. And it was probably really embarrassing. I'm sorry, and just… we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. That's cool, I'm cool with that. It's fine. We'll just forget…"

"But I like being with you, Andy. You always make me happy, and that's important to me. Also, you go to church."

They laughed together.

"Thanks for this… birthday party." She decided, as they meandered out to the parking lot.

"Yep. Anything for you, Pye."

She bit her knuckle as she returned to the seat. She scooped up the vase of flowers and took in their aroma.

"That is the cutest thing. Wait 'til I tell Kelly."

The only things Andy could think of as answers were, as he immediately stamped them, the wrong things. And thus, he simply nodded.

They didn't care if the whole office knew. They were briefly engaged, maybe!

And they would be, officially, very soon. If Andy could figure out how to do it properly…


	3. Chapter 3

Andy imagined several exquisite proposal scenarios, none of which physically presented themselves to his genius.

The Derby party was overturned, based on the presence of every single co-worker. And that Erin's favorite horse didn't win. That made it weird, he decided. Their next date, as Erin planned it, was to watch a live musical. Couldn't talk during that. They went next to a movie, with the same result. Once, a walk in the park, during which Erin commented on how _adorable_ Michael and Holly's wedding invitations were. Then it'd seem like an afterthought, right? Months elapsed, until Erin had nearly forgotten whether or not Andy counted his first attempt at proposing. Was she supposed to wait for something else? Part of her heart held out for this, quite desperately. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry, but after separate chats with Phyllis and Kelly, it seemed inevitable.

"Big Tuna, hey." Jim had made the mistake of entering Andy's office, "Shut the door, would you?"

"Just dropping off the invoice you wanted…"

"Yeah, that's fine. I know… just, could you sit down?"

Jim sat, decided it was wisest _not_ to speak, and glanced back and forth to the camera crew for help. None was provided.

"How did you propose to Pam?" Andy's words were rushed and ran between his tightly clasped fingers, which in turn, formed a gate over his mouth.

"You don't think it's a little early for that?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't mean it… and I was just about to call and ask Michael. _Please_ don't make me do that."

"Wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Thanks, Tuna."

"But I still think you're rushing things."

Andy rolled his head over his hands, eventually pressing his eyes shut.

"If you think you're both ready, that's great. I would recommend going somewhere familiar, so you don't, I guess, _scare_ her or embarrass her…"

"Done that."

"Okay. Just, try to have fun with it. Details are on you, okay? Whatever you do, I'm with ya."

"Thanks man. Sorry about that… you can go."

"Yep." Jim turned, threw the camera a typical twisted pout, and left, shutting the door behind him.

Andy spent the rest of his day imagining the perfect place… and he soon knew it.

Erin, as was now a routine, had stopped by Andy's house late one Saturday evening. (As part of Dwight's advice, Andy provided her with his house-key, and the cheesy, musician's joke was attached: _We're in the same key! _ Erin laughed after he explained its meaning.)

They were in the kitchen and preparing a meal together, one of Erin's favorite activities they shared.

"So you won't tell me where we're going, will you?" Erin mentioned, scanning the contents of a low cabinet. She retrieved a cutting board and set it in front of Andy, who already held a knife.

"Sure I will. Just a walk to the park while it's still nice outside."

"Yah, not as fun while it's snowing."

"Then we should hurry." He tried to look at least passably professional at slicing the celery in front of him, as they'd sometimes watch the chefs on television do. Erin took armfuls from the refrigerator and spread her ingredients on the counter. She wasn't even watching.

"Celery and dip?" she asked, giving him a quick glance over her shoulder.

"Check."

"I have the sandwiches… check. Picnic basket and blanket and stuff?"

"Got it by the front door. You have a jacket?"

"Can I borrow one?" Despite asking, she'd already started pulling a Cornell sweatshirt over her head. He acknowledged this with a smile. The pale blue forged a perfect contrast with her strikingly bright hair. Andy checked her sandwiches and added an important… ingredient.

"To the park." He announced, placing the dishes in the sink and the food in the basket. Erin tossed the folded blanket over her shoulder and followed him out the door and down the lane.

"The sky is a nice color." Observed Erin, shoving her hands into her coat-pockets, "It looks like the tablecloths Michael and Holly used… with the gold trim?"

"You're right."

"Their wedding was really nice." Kelly's advice had her implying weddings at every turn.

"Mmhmm." Andy's proposal tumbled around his mind. She was putting way too much focus on it. But, he'd set it up so that it couldn't be ignored or postponed. Whether or not Erin expected it was now beyond his control.

They held hands for the next few paces, taking turns commenting on the cloudy shy and gentle snowfall.

"How 'bout under this tree?" Andy selected a greying willow and began unfolding the blanket beneath it. Erin nodded and swept some fallen twigs aside.

She opened the basket and removed a thermos. She poured them each a mug of steamy tea and they sipped in silence.

"Hungry, Pye?" he hated nudging her, but they hadn't come out to shiver in the snow. He'd planned this too carefully to let it unfold incorrectly.

This reminded her of the evening of her previous birthday. She giggled, quieted herself with a stern nod, and served the food.

Andy watched her, attempting to keep his eyes from showcasing his dramatic anticipation. He did not open the bag containing his meal, he only watched as she did so.

She took her neatly assembled sandwich and let it hover near her lips as she sniffed it. Quietly displaying caution, Andy glanced her way as she prepared to take a bite.

"Pye… wait…"

"Hmm?" She continued approaching the sandwich.

Andy caught her wrist, softened his grip after seeing her frightened face, and peeled his mouth open.

"What happened to checking your sandwich? Don't want you choking, Pye."

"What are you talking about?"

"You check your sandwiches every day. You take off the top piece of bread and look at them."

"You watch me eat my lunch?"

"When you're _not_ eating _with_ me? Absolutely." He offered a nervous laugh and hoped this wasn't creepy.

"But I just made this at home… I just check ones I _don't_ make."

Internally, he grinned at her mention of 'home' as his place, but he had to proceed with the questioning:

"Who normally makes your lun… never mind. Will you do it anyway? It's… cute." He was failing at hiding his newfound panic.

"'Kay…"

She folded the bread over and stopped after she saw something gleaming in the fading sunlight. Stray snowflakes drifted through the tree branches and settled in her hair.

"Go on." Recited Andy, still supervising her.

Laughter and tears emerged from her frame simultaneously. Andy struggled to get up on one knee.

"Doing it with the box seemed really cheesy…"

Erin nodded and her comprehension became blurred. _Cheesy_, but there was certainly cheese on her sandwich, too. A bit of lettuce, the edge of a tomato and a ring that looked to her like a full moon. The moon was above them and collected her jumbled thoughts.

"Erin…" Andy waited until she was able to look up at his eyes, "will you marry me?"

He refrained from singing any songs about marriage, as he'd partially planned on doing. Instead, he watched her nod and took her in a tight embrace, wiping her tears gently away with a brush of his hand.

"It's… cold." Erin managed while they were still together.

He kissed her cheek and helped her to stand.

"That was the real one?" she double-checked and started smiling.

"Yep. I hope it was… satisfactory, Miss." He wasn't sure why he was making jokes, "You okay?"

"Yeah…"

He took the ring from where it had fallen, near the edge of the blanket, and slipped it into its reserved parking space, kissing the back of her hand as she stared.

"Just pick a day, Pye. Leave the rest to me."

"Right…"

He scooped up their belongings and led her back home, checking back on her smile after every few steps.

"As soon as it stops snowing." She decided, as they wiped their feet on the mat before his door, "Spring is happy."

"Sounds perfect. I'm on it."

They kissed once again as they stood in the doorway. Erin didn't want to trade this warmth for anything. She savored the feeling and hoped their inevitable moment beneath the white arch would be exactly the same.


End file.
